Home » News » After fallout, Tibetans in Sydney to have new event for Dalai Lama’s Nobel

After fallout, Tibetans in Sydney to have new event for Dalai Lama’s Nobel

Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, Lhakpa Tshoko, in an undated file photo.
File photo/Tibet Information Office

By Lobsang Wangyal

McLEOD GANJ, India, 3 December 2018

The Tibetan Information Office in Canberra, Australia, announced that they will organise an event to celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize on the Dalai Lama 29 years ago.

The announcement came after the fallout between the Office and the leaders of the Tibetan Community of Sydney that led to the cancellation of an event previously scheduled for 8 December.

In the announcement on Monday, the Tibetan Information Office has said that the Nobel Peace Prize conferred on the Dalai Lama on 10 December 1989, and the International Human Rights Day is celebrated annually by Tibetans all over the world.

Not to celebrate the two events would be a mark of shame on the Tibetans living in Sydney. “It would be what China would wish to see Tibetans do.”

The date for the new event has been fixed as 15 December. Time and venue would be announced later.

The cancellation announced earlier by the Tibetan Community of Sydney was due to the fear that some Tibetans would stage a protest at the event against the President of the Central Tibetan Administration, Lobsang Sangay. He was to attend the event as the chief guest.

But some Tibetans called the leaders of the Tibetan Community saying that if Sangay was not invited they would protest. They told the leaders that 400 Tibetans were with them.

Sangay left Dharamshala for Australia on Monday to attend a “Thank You Australia” event, a part of the year-long “Thank You” campaign launched by the CTA earlier this year.

He will be in Canberra, the capital, where the “Thank You Australia” event will be held on 5 December.

Apparently Sangay will not be in Sydney for the Nobel event as he is scheduled to be back in Dharamshala by 8 December.

The Tibet Information Office is headed by Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, Lhakpa Tshoko.

Comments

There are 8 comments so far.

8.

lobsang, from Usa, says:on 11 December 2018 at 4:59 am

Dear friend, you should know that nobody ask to come to Airport to welcome Sikyong la. All of them came as voluntary and to show respect our elected leader. those volunteers are living in free countries. nobody can force them to came to Airport. 95% people of tibet are united and deeply respect their elected leader. Therefore, please be unite. The fact is that our country is occupied by China not our leaders. we have same blood. we have same religion, we have the same language. we have same origin and we have one Lama that we all believe in.

7.

Khampa Warrior, from USA, says:on 10 December 2018 at 8:12 pm

Least we forget, Bawa Kalsang Gyaltsen, a point man of Lobsang Sangay there had played no small part in this fiasco. He owed his job to Lobsang Sangay. Remember he was a regionalist at it’s core in the Tibetan parliament sessions and a havoc who doesn’t care any of the core values of general Tibetans. Hope details would come out sooner than later.

6.

Tenzin Gonpo, from Delhi, says:on 5 December 2018 at 6:54 pm

Tibetan disunity and the behaviour is there for the world to see. What a shame! This surely will help free Tibet, and we will get many supporters from all over the world.

Wasn’t unity one of Sikyong Sangay’s slogan to get elected? What happened to that? I know there was some discord during the 2016 elections, but Sangay had to fire Penpa Tsering. The current mess came after that event. Such childish act by Sangay to wipe out an old score with PT from the election times for giving him hard times.

After a year or so the next election fever will hot up. From the current division created by LS, all his supporters will vote for Gyari Dolma, as she’s from LS camp. The fight will be between PT and GD. But PTs support has increased compared to the last elections when he fought against LS.

Most likely PT will win. In such a scenario, LS will be out of scene for obvious reasons. LS supporters out of anger will cause as much disturbance as possible to damage PT’s image.

This is what the future looks like for exiled Tibetans. This will be the legacy of Sikyong Sangay.

5.

Dolma Tsering, from England, says:on 5 December 2018 at 12:49 am

Lobsang Sangye always make problem wherever he visit .

4.

Daveno says:on 4 December 2018 at 3:15 pm

The point about frequent large gatherings at airports without permission is something that needs our attention at the moment.

I hope Lobsang Sangay will in future at least inform or seek authorization from airport authorities in advance. This looks pathetic and wierd. If pretty girls are receiving our Sikyong, it is okay. But dozens of testorine-fueled yaks and bulls in quiet, rarefied airport environement won’t do.

3.

Dawa Tsering, from Greenwich, CT, says:on 4 December 2018 at 12:04 am

I have been living in Connecticut for the past 22 years. During those years, I have spent a good amount of time working for the community. During those time I don’t recall our Tibetan leaders harassing Tibetan community workers to come receive them and see them off at the airports. I don’t remember receiving Kyabje Samdong Rinpoche at the airport with such pomp and shows like people do these days to Lobsang Sangay. The good loyal leaders ask the community members not to trouble themselves receiving and see them off as such will not just waste time but people have troubles at work also. Unlike our old leaders, Lobsang Sangay loves to show off, without considering the problems of the people. This is sad. I wish he humbly acknowledge his supporters’ love and request them not to receive him as they do these days. Such actions just creates further division in our society. These bodyguards (most of which are live-in workers at some Chinese buffet places) who wears black suits, red tie, and black shades are not just unqualified for this job but looks stupid. Why do you need bodyguards for? For God’s sake Lobsang Sangay, please stop this childish game. You have this esteemed title, ‘SIKYONG’. Please respect this title at least. And one more thing, please talk like a grown-up, not kids. Most of your speeches are like a clown fooling around with a group of kids.

While some might be gloating in a state of schadenfreude, as a result of the latest fiasco downunder, we up here take solace at the latest revelation that celebration of the Nobel Peace Prize will take place, indeed. Lekso, lekso.

That’s a sagacious decision. Let us not loose our collective common focus due to bickering on petty issues, which can be deleterious for our common cause and retard our progressive initiative, to say the least.

1.

tenzin tsomo says:on 3 December 2018 at 3:20 pm

“No noise at the Airport, Mr president”

I hope Tibetan refugees in Sydney won’t come into the Airport without authorization, and chant loud slogans. This looks very unsightly to the eye, and you see the people around getting annoyed by the noise and highly noticeable drama.

Please stop this. Otherwise, these countries will develop policies to reduce Tibetan immigration because a group of males (women don’t care much about these things) present in airports making noises is something that makes westerners very uncomfortable.

Dear Sikyong, please tell Tibetans not to come at the airport. Educated Tibetans are getting embarrassed to see those videos on the internet.